


The Simplest Change

by Star_Fata



Series: Ichi-Nii-San [1]
Category: Bleach
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, BAMF Kurosaki Ichigo, BAMF Kurosaki Yuzu, Sibling Bonding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-06
Updated: 2018-06-06
Packaged: 2019-05-19 01:12:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 2,141
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14863826
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Star_Fata/pseuds/Star_Fata
Summary: A prequel to my Day 6 UraIchi Week Fic- which will hopefully be up soon. Canon Divergence/slice of life.Ichigo will never forget the day he became a big brother- to Kurosaki Karin and Yuzu. Two little darling people he's willing to do anything for...Even join handicrafts club.





	1. The Beginning

Ichigo will always remember the day that he became a big brother- when his father came to fetch him to go to his mother, and she had smiled at him. 

“Ichigo, there’s two very special people for you to meet.” She said, glowing. “The baby nearest your dad has is your little sister Karin.”

Ichigo stood next to the bassinet- Karin was the one with a tuft of dark hair on her head already, while the other baby had light brown fuzz, the same tint as their mothers. Both babies were in white onesies, looking adorable against the yellow bedding in the giant bassinet.

“And next to her is your new baby brother, Yuzu.”

“Yuzuru.” Isshin corrected.

His mother scowled at him over Ichigo’s head. “Yuzu.”

Ichigo heard none of that, too in awe of the strange, reddish creatures in front of him.

“Hello.” He whispered to them. “I’m your big brother, Ichigo.”


	2. After Masaki

Another day Ichigo would never forget was about a week after they’d lost their mother- such a way to put it, lost their mother. As if they’d simply misplaced her and could possibly find her again one day.

Ichigo had walked in through the door of the house to find Yuzu with a vacuum cleaner on the stairs. “Yuzu, that’s too heavy for you.” He scolded absently, taking off his shoes and hopping up the stairs. “You don’t need to do that.”

“It needs to be done.” Yuzu insisted, looking up with teary eyes. Ichigo cursed internally, he hadn’t meant to upset his baby brother. “You have Karate and Karin doesn’t like cleaning and dad’s too busy so it might as well be me.”

Ichigo thought for a second, unable to find a good argument for a second. “We can make a rota for some chores.” He offered finally. “But some things will have to be my job or dad’s job until you and Karin are bigger.”

“I don’t mind cleaning Ni-san. I like being useful, and it’s kind of cool, to be the reason the house is nice.” Yuzu argued.

Ichigo bit his lip. “You don’t have to be useful Yuzu, you’re a kid. Lets go make up the rota now, so you can tell me what chores you like doing best.”

It’s a big brother’s job to support his family after all.


	3. Shopping

XXX

Ichigo didn’t grit his teeth as he walked into the store, and he didn’t go in with his head held high in defiance- both of those implied that he either considered his errand beneath him or the contents of the store too girly, neither of which were acceptable things to think. 

“Hello.” He said to the woman behind the counter. “My brother and I want to learn to sew, is there anything you’d recommend we start with?”

The woman blinked in shock. “Does your mother not sew?”

“No.” Ichigo refused to explain further than that. “We’re complete beginners here.”

The woman looked at him strangely for a very long moment- so long that Ichigo’s patience snapped. 

“If you don’t have anything I can go somewhere else."

That got her moving. “Most of our beginner kits are for toys, but we also have a number of books. I’d recommend the Sewing Encyclopaedia and a Sewing for Beginners book- we have quite a few, if you’ll just follow me.”

_Finally_. The lady at the sports shop had been way less troublesome.


	4. Preparing for the Future

Ichigo spat out a mouthful of blood, before pulling a hankerchief and a bottle of water out of his bag. He used them to mop his face, careful to avoid pressing too hard. One of the idiots had gotten in a lucky punch on his cheek, although thankfully his teeth were just fine.

“Idiots.” He scoffed, stepping over one of their groaning bodies and continuing his journey home. “Who cares if I can sew?”

“I do.” A familiar voice said.

Ichigo froze and turned his head- just up the path was Yuzu, shopping in hand.

“Hey Yuzu.” He greeted, licking his lips in case there was any blood left. “Need a hand with that?”

Yuzu scowled at him, brushing the longer parts of his hair back. “Are you okay Ni-san?”

Ichigo smiled, mouth carefully closed. “Yeah. Just the usual idiots.”

“Alright.” Yuzu nodded, walking again. They fell into step on the way home.

Usually they were quite comfortable walking in silence- but this time, the quiet wasn’t comfortable so much as considering.

“Ni-san, you took up sewing for me.” Yuzu stated.

“To start with yeah.” Ichigo said. “I wanted to be able to help you if you got stuck on something, but now I like it for myself.”

“And you took up soccer for Karin.”

“I didn’t so much take up soccer so much as learn the rules so I could help her practice, but sure.”

“And you keep getting into fights.”

“I’m good at it but I don’t exactly go looking for them.” Ichigo objected. “My hair is enough of an excuse for some punks.”

“What about when you met Chad? Those guys weren’t picking on your hair.”

“He wasn’t fighting back and I wasn’t going to leave him to die.”

“And the guys who were putting graffiti on the walls?”

“They made that ghost lady cry- I’m not comfortable with people crying Yuzu. What are you getting at anyways?”

“If Ni-san likes fighting so much, why did he quit Karate?”

Ichigo actually paused to think that one over. “It’s not the same kind of fighting Yuzu. Sorry to make you worry.”

Yuzu bit his lip and hugged the grocery bag to his chest. “I’m old enough to use the stove now. And use the vacuum.”

“ _Barely _.” Ichigo agreed.__

__

__“But I’m getting big enough that people like that might come after me to make a point.”_ _

__

__“You don’t need to worry about that Yuzu.” Ichigo insisted. “I’ll protect you- that’s what big brothers are supposed to do.”_ _

__

__“Maybe.” Yuzu snapped. “But you can’t be there all the time Ichi-nii! And one day you’re going to be grown up and go to college and get a job, and we won’t be ready for that if you don’t let us stand on our own every now and then!”_ _

__

__Ichigo was quiet for a while, thinking that over. “What’s brought this on?”_ _

__

__“Those guys back there. They attacked you because you joined the handicrafts club. Because you want me to have the option without being embarrassed about it.” Yuzu said firmly._ _

__

__Ichigo had actually been hoping Yuzu hadn’t worked that bit out. “I like making things.” He attempted to deflect._ _

__

__“Not enough to join Handicrafts club.” Yuzu argued._ _

__

__Ichigo huffed. “Guys like that will take any excuse to pick a fight- if it hadn’t been the handicrafts club it would have been my hair, and if it hadn’t been that it would have been that I was walking in the wrong place or I looked at one of them funny. I won’t arrange my life to suit those morons.”_ _

__

__Yuzu laughed, startled. “Maybe not. But in a few years, those morons will be going after me and Karin. Karin’s tough- but I don’t know how to fight.”_ _

__

__Ichigo wanted to argue that Yuzu- gentle, sensitive Yuzu who wanted to go to culinary school or make toys or own a café one day- didn’t need to know how to fight. But Yuzu had a point._ _

__

__“Eight isn’t so bad an age to start learning self-defence.” He said finally. “You and Karin can go for a year, we’ve got room in the house budget now. We can talk about it when we get home, and I can call and ask Tatsuki to come over- she knows more about the local dojo’s than I do.”_ _

__

__Yuzu’s shoulders relaxed- he must have been really worried about it. “Karin?” He asked._ _

__

__Ichigo shrugged. “She should know what she’s doing If she’s going to be hitting people other than Goat-face.”_ _


	5. Brother Teacher Conference

When he’d signed up his precious baby siblings for self defence lessons, he had reasonably thought that any injuries from fights would happen after they entered the dojo.

Two days before their first scheduled lesson, Ichigo had to attend a parent-teacher conference in Isshin’s place.

“Kurosaki-kun.” The principal frowned. “I was expecting your father.” 

Ichigo bowed slightly- he was here as a guardian after a fashion, being rude to this prick might reflect badly on his siblings. “He’s sorry he cannot attend, especially as you said it was urgent, but he has a patient at the clinic awaiting transfer and he needs to be there.” 

Isshin totally could have left- the only patient they currently had staying with them was Mrs Yoshimura, and that was just because her concussion meant she couldn’t be left alone for long periods. Isshin just couldn’t be bothered with parent teacher conferences, especially not unexpected ones. 

The principal was unaware of this and simply nodded. “I see.” He really didn’t. 

Nonetheless, Ichigo walked in and looked around- there were three other boys, all of them with actual parents. Yuzu sat near the door, his back straight as a ruler. He had a split lip and bruised cheek, so rather than sit down Ichigo went to do a quick check. Yuzu’s knuckles were bruised too, and he had bruises on his legs- but he was otherwise fine. 

He sat down in the nearby chair and waited for the meeting, whatever it was about, to commence. He had a feeling he was _not_ going to like this. 

He was right- reading between the lines of what the Principal and the other kids were saying, Yuzu had gotten in a fight- three to one. And they expected him to buy the fact that Yuzu had started it, because at the end of his middle school years he’d been winning those kinds of fights with a viciousness that had left the bullies afraid to try a second time, a few of whom had been terrified into decency.

But he couldn’t argue, because the Principal would be aware of his delinquent reputation- he and Chad were pretty infamous for winning their fights, even if the upper echelons of the school hierarchy remained unaware of the who started those fights.

He gritted his teeth and kept a blank expression as the principal kept talking shit- but then he was interrupted.

That isn’t what happened.” Yuzu said firmly- the expression on his face was stern, rather than angry or upset. “And I would appreciate the chance to tell my side of the story, if you’re done repeating theirs.”

The principal started, and then frowned. “Now look here…” He began.

Yuzu was having none of it. “I don’t know what your problem with me is, unless it’s that I’m Ichigo’s younger brother. Or maybe you agree with these guys,” he waved at the three boys “that I’m a, what was it? ‘Pussy little Mama’s boy who needs the girly shit kicked out of me’.” Yuzu’s sneer was a thing of beauty. “But I don’t believe girls are less than boys, and I don’t believe liking stuff a bunch of morons way back when decided was woman’s work makes me unmanly or whatever. I’m not going to apologise for it, and I _am not _going to apologise for fighting back when these idiots decided to attack me.”__

____

____

Ichigo had never been so proud in his life.

The principal sputtered, even as one of the parents narrowed her eyes at her son. Finally, he flailed his arm at Ichigo. “What do you think of this?”

"I am grateful that we’ve signed up the twins for self-defence lessons.” Ichigo said immediately. “If this kind of thing is happening now, in middle school, I want them both able to defend themselves appropriately by Junior high.”

"But….” The principal tried again.

"I understand that some small minded people consider Yuzu’s hobbies to be inappropriate for a young boy, just as they consider Karin’s hobbies to be inappropriate for a young girl.” Ichigo acknowledged. “But like I told Yuzu a while back- we can’t plan our lives around what morons think. Yuzu’s happy, and that’s all we care about.”

"Pah!” The principal burst out with. “I know that’s a lie! You know why? It’s not so long ago you were the one getting into fights because people called you a Momma’s boy, and your father swore to toughen you up!”

"You misunderstood him.” Ichigo said, face like stone. “I was never ashamed of being close to my mother, and he didn’t mind that we had a good relationship. He meant that he would make sure I would have the skills needed to win more of those fights.”

And with that he turned to Yuzu. “Karin’s waiting by the soccer field- we’re leaving.” As they left the outer office, he gently ruffled his hair. “You did good kid- I’m proud of you."


End file.
